World War II veteran Gordon Butler may be the only person who thinks he was lucky to be sent to work forced labour on Hellfire Pass on the Death Railway in Thailand.

"I could have been sent to Sandakan, or some other bad place," Gordon told Richard Glover on 702 Drive.

"Luckily I'm here because I had a good draw."

On February 15, 1942, Gordon was on the ground at the fall of Singapore when Allied forces surrendered to the Japanese. He returned there today for the 70th anniversary of the battle.

He recalls the day he was taken by the Japanese.

"We were just embarrassed about the whole situation, wondering what everybody would think of us here in Singapore and what our fate might eventually be."

"At dusk we were marshaled and we had to walk the twenty miles from the golf course through to Changi"

From Changi he was taken to work on the Hellfire Pass and later to Japan, where he was around twenty miles East of Hiroshima when the nuclear bomb was dropped on the city.

Speaking from Singapore where he attended commemorations for the 70th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, Gordon told Richard Glover about the day the Americans arrived and about the emotions he felt on the day he came home to find a girlfriend waiting for him with a kiss.

Not only does Gordon have an incredible story but his attitude to life is incredibly inspiring. You can listen to Richard Glover's full interview with Gordon Butler by clicking on the audio icon on this page.